Arthur Andersen could get hit with criminal charges in the Enron accounting scandal as early as today.

Because Andersen officials have admitted to shredding Enron documents, they could be charged with obstructing a government inquiry – a criminal charge, sources familiar with the plans told Bloomberg.

Neither Andersen, headed by Joseph Berardino, nor the Justice Department, which is expected to seek the indictment, would comment.

The Justice Department first launched a criminal investigation into Andersen’s practices in January when the company acknowledged that many of its employees disposed of documents related to its audit of Enron, which filed for bankruptcy late last year.

Andersen fired one employee who had shredded documents, put three others on leave and told four partners they no longer had management responsibilities.

But government investigators are convinced the fraud at Andersen was widespread.

Andersen took a hit yesterday when one of its biggest corporate clients, Delta Airlines, fired them and switched to Deloitte & Touche for all accounting and auditing needs.

That’s the third big client Andersen lost this week and almost the 30th this year. Andersen’s clients have been steadily jumping to other accountants ever since the firm was found to have signed off on Enron’s fraudulent financial statements.

Earlier this week, both Freddie Mac and Merck dumped Andersen in favor of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

So far this year, Andersen lost such powerhouse clients as Texaco, SunTrust Banks Inc. and Ford Motor Co.